February 14, 2012

 

Four Keene Schools on Lockdown This Morning

 

Keene High School, Keene Middle School, Jonathan Daniels and Symonds Schools were placed under lockdown this morning as Keene Police searched for an armed man allegedly carrying a shot gun in a wooded area in West Keene.

A short time after 10am, Superintendent William Gurney received confirmation from law enforcement that the suspect had been apprehended and was taken into police custody.  Lockdown status at the four school buildings has been lifted.

Presentation to the Finance Committee of the Keene Board of Education

Update on Proposed Budget Reductions for 2012 – 2013

 

 

 

Bill Gurney

February 7, 2012

 

 Introduction

The Keene Board of Education approved a recommendation made by the Finance Committee to reduce the proposed budget by $550,000. This decision was made when concerns were raised about lower revenue projections for next year.

Administrators met twice to identify areas of the budget for reduction and worked collaboratively to reach the Board’s budget target of $61,571,139.  Along with the outstanding work of our administrators, I would like to take this opportunity to In reaching the target, we examined staffing needs, supply requests and looked closely at new initiatives. No easy decisions can be found in our recommendations as these programs were already reviewed and supported during the initial phase of budget preparation last fall.

We began this project by requesting the Department of Education review the decision to eliminate Class Size Reduction funds from our Title II-A entitlement grant. Fortunately, our request was approved and included in the reductions are classroom teaching positions currently assigned to Jonathan Daniels School and Keene High School.

Also at Keene High School, 3.7 (FTE) teaching positions will be left vacant due to teachers accepting early retirement benefits.

Included in the reductions as well are funds ($85,000) for Gifted & Talented programming. As you may recall, this amount is funded in our current budget but has not been spent due to a lack of qualified, certified G&T teachers in our area.

You will note the reduction of $14,191 for elementary playground equipment.  No project has been identified for this funding and, with the anticipated building improvements to our elementary schools in the next few years, funds for playground upgrades may be included in future building bonds.

The sudden need to further reduce our proposed budget left us with many difficult decisions.  Even relatively minor reductions such as funding for the Harris Center Programs ($5,000) will eliminate a valued environmental and wildlife program that has enriched student learning since 1980.

However, we are also cognizant of the very difficult economic burden being place upon local taxpayers in Keene and other local communities.

This is a brief memo to update you regarding the status of our budget proposal for the next school year. On October 4, 2011, the Finance Committee of the Keene Board of Education set a target for administrators to meet of an overall operating budget increase of .8%... Continue reading KSD Budget Update for 2012-2013

 

To:          Keene High School Faculty

From:      Bill Gurney

Date:        December 21, 2011

RE:          Modification of Block Scheduling

       

Dear Faculty:

Last evening, Alan Chmiel and his administrative staff presented the results of their work on modifying the schedule for the 2012 – 2013 school year.

Our administrative team recommended to the Keene Board of Education that we are not ready to modify the schedule for next year. Their recommendation was based upon the results of running several preliminary schedules with limited success.

The Keene Board of Education accepted their recommendation, and a motion was passed to delay implementation until the fall of 2013. The motion also called upon the administration to present monthly updates on their planning process and milestones reached in developing the  modified schedule.

Change is never easy for an organization. The Board’s goal of offering a more flexible schedule for our students remains and will continue to drive our efforts. This is a worthy goal that has the potential to unite us all in an initiative to better serve students’ needs and learning styles.

Our administrators will not be able to make this cultural change on their own. In the weeks ahead, we will be calling upon faculty, parents and students to engage positively in this initiative. We will be turning our attention to the 2013 – 2014 schedule when school resumes in January. We will have a modified schedule completed by the end of the school year with some funds available for curriculum planning over the summer break for courses changing formats.

Patrick Lencioni wrote in the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (2002) that the absence of trust and fear of conflict are the primary factors contributing to cultural dysfunction. Modification of the schedule has certainly led to more than our share of conflict and I hope we will be able to work together on this goal with a spirit of trust. Our students deserve nothing less.

 

Keene High School

The collaborative initiative with the Winchester K-8 school administration continues.  Principal Mr. Lewis and Guidance Counselor Ms. Heise are meeting regularly to improve the academic achievement and social interaction of the incoming freshman class from Winchester.

... Continue reading Goals Update November 2011

KEENE SCHOOL DISTRICT - GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 2011-2012

... Continue reading Keene School District Goals - 2011-2012

William B. Gurney, Co-Superintendent of SAU 29 said today, “On behalf of the Keene School District I’d like to say that our hearts go out to the family of Steven Sawyer, who died yesterday as a result of a fall two weeks ago from scaffolding in the auditorium at our new middle school. “ Mr. Sawyer was a construction worker on the middle school project at the time of the accident.

Superintendent Gurney’s Blog -- September 2011

 

The school year is off to a tremendous start with the opening of the new Middle School. It was a joy to watch the students enter their new building and begin their first day of school. Students and our staff have much to be grateful for this fall thanks to the support and generosity of the Keene community.

... Continue reading Supt. Gurney's September 2011 Blog

June 7, 2011 Presentation to the Finance Committee of the Keene Board of Education - Administrative planning to respond to anticipated expenditure and revenue losses.

May 18, 2011 Staff Letter from Superintendent Gurney Re: Budget Cuts

Presentation to the Finance Committee of the Keene Board of Education, May 9, 2011

Presentation to Keene Board of Education Finance Committee, April 5, 2011

April 4, 2011 Letter to KSD Staff from Superintendent Gurney